One word: politics.
Why is Thanksgiving So Late This Year?
Thanksgiving seems to fall pretty late this year, landing only a few days before November ends. Why? One word: politics.
The first ‘Publick Day of Thanksgiving’ fell on Thursday, November 26th all the way back in 1789. The holiday moved around every time a new president came into office until Abraham Lincoln tried to stop the madness, officially proclaiming the last Thursday in November as Thanksgiving in 1863.
That worked until 1939, when President Franklin D. Roosevelt was worried about Thanksgiving falling on the last day of the month, shortening holiday shopping time and stalling the economy. He tried to make Thanksgiving the second-to-last Thursday in November, dividing a nation. 32 states made the change but 16 insisted on keeping Thanksgiving on the last Thursday.
Congress said “enough” in 1941, and officially declared that moving forward, Thanksgiving would fall on the fourth Thursday in November.